It is known in the art to provide battery electrolytes by mixing a gelling agent with sulphuric acid. The electrolyte is in the form of a thixotropic gel which as essential constituents includes sulphuric acid and a gel-forming agent which may be e.g. a silica sol as proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,321. This type of gelled electrolyte involves several advantages over non-gelled liquid electrolytes such as the possibility of independent positioning while being substantially free of leaking and maintenance. However, the electrolyte disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,321 lacks sufficient gel strength and the time of gelling is often too long.
The present invention intends to provide a gelled composition which solves the above problems in batteries, and which also may be used for other applications.